The skin provides the body with mechanical protection and acts as a chemical barrier to restrict foreign substance penetration, to prevent water or fluid loss and to maintain a constant temperature.
The skin is subject to deterioration due to environmental factors and throughout the normal ageing process. This deterioration can lead to wrinkles, fine lines and dry or thinning skin.
There are many cosmetic methods for improving skin nourishment, hydration and the appearance of the skin. These include topical application of creams and lotions which contain ingredients that improve the skin quality.
The effect of topical application is only local and the benefits are only provided to the part of the skin where the cream or lotion is applied. This is usually on the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis.
Skin creams and lotions may provide a change to the epidermis, but the effects of these creams do not reach the dermis, or inner regenerative layer of the skin.
The systemic administration of ingredients that can improve the skin condition could be beneficial, especially if they could be orally administered and distributed to the whole body and entire thickness of the skin, in particular, the inner regenerative layer.
Some health care and beauty care foods have been developed which enhance the properties of the skin by oral ingestion. For example, foods comprising collagen, vitamins and proteins (CN-A-101766308 and CN-A-101889704), compositions comprising vegetable oils, vitamins and minerals (US-A-2009/0269419), foods comprising hyaluronic acid to promote water retention (EP-A-1075836 A2) and health foods or drinks comprising collagen production promoters such as milk-derived basic protein fractions (EP-A-1623718 A1).
Collagen is a structural protein of the extracellular matrix and it has been shown that skin collagen content declines with age, leading to a loss of the skin elasticity and to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles. CN-A-101766308 describes the use of a collagen liquid drink to enhance the health of human skin. The combination of collagen peptide and vitamins (including vitamin C) can replenish the loss of the body's collagen. EP-A-1623718 describes the use of basic peptide fractions to promote skin collagen level. US 20110160137 discusses the use of an oral composition comprising a collagen peptide, proteins and vitamins which can maximise collagen biosynthesis and improves skin condition.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is known as an acidulent, vitamin, and antioxidant substance. WO-A-0201954 describes the use of L-ascorbyl monophosphate to promote cellular regeneration and repair after injury. U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,672 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,829 describe stable, 2-polyphosphorylated species of L-ascorbic acid and its stereoisomers. The 2-polyphosphate esters of L-ascorbate described in these patents have proved to be an excellent source of vitamin C for nutrition, on account of their stability, low solubility and high bioavailability.
EP-A-2532252 describes the combination of collagen, hyaluronic acid, borage oil emulsion and a glucosamine derivative which is said to be particularly suitable for improving skin condition.
The existing skin-enhancing liquid dosage forms suffer from low palatability leading to poor compliance by the subject. Moreover, the performance of these compositions in use has been disappointing. It is thought that this may be due, inter alia, to low bioavailability of the collagen after ingestion.
It would be beneficial to provide a beverage composition that promotes higher absorption and bioavailability of skin-nourishing ingredients.